I think this popular song would more aptly be called "When a Man is Involved in an Unhealthy and Co-Dependent Relationship With a Woman". It's not as catchy a title but I think it sums up the song a lot better than the original title. Let's get into this...
"When a man loves a woman Can't keep his mind on nothing else. He'll trade the world For the good thing he's found."Sure when you're first "in love", you think about that person day and night... but that doesn't and can't last forever. The reason it can't last forever is because it's unbalanced and unrealistic. He can't literally trade the entire world for the awesome person he just found... he's going to need part of that world in order to take care of her! And he needs to be able to think about something other than his love interest because life won't stop just because he's decided he's in love.
"If she's bad he can't see it; She can do no wrong. Turn his back on his best friend If he put her down."While that sounds chivalrous, it's really not smart to go about dumping your closest and longest friends for the slightest perceived injury. And the friend may have pointed out something vitally important he has missed because he is blinded by infatuation and unable to see a single one of her faults.
"When a man loves a woman Spend his very last dime Tryin' to hold on to what he needs."If he has to buy her things to get her to stay with him, what kind of love is that? Why is he with a woman who doesn't care about him, but only what she can get from him?
"He'd give up all his comfort Sleep out in the rain If she said that's the way it ought to be."He would let her use and abuse him and do absolutely anything she wants as long as she continues to smile graciously upon him. In other words, he is a whipped puppy and - while she will be flattered for a while with the attention - there is no way she will have any respect for him whatsoever. And we all know how relationships with no respect end up...
"Well, this man loves a woman; I gave you everything I had Tryin' to hold on to your precious love. Baby, please don't treat me bad."The way to get a partner to treat you better is to stand up for yourself and
demand that they respect you... not write mushy songs and beg for them to be a little nicer to your achy breaky heart. It's very sad if don't realize this until you've already given everything...
"When a man loves a woman Down deep in his soul She can bring him such misery If she plays him for a fool. He's the last one to know; Lovin' eyes can't ever see."Again, with the "love being blind" crap. Healthy relationships do not include refusing to notice glaring faults in the other. Overlooking and forgiving, sure. But not a serious or repetitive fault - that's stupid.
"When a man loves a woman He can do no wrong; He can never own some other girl. Yes when a man loves a woman I know exactly how he feels, 'Cause baby, baby, baby, you're my world"This is probably the most sensible section of the song. But we are reminded again of the danger and foolishness in building your entire world around one person - a human with faults and issues and problems, regardless of how much you love them.
I really think this is a beautiful song and I love hearing it. But when I listen to songs I naturally dig for the "between the lines" meanings and insinuations behind everything, and this is what I have come up with.
What conclusions would you come to about this song?
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Comments (38)
"When a man loves a woman Can't keep his mind on nothing else. He'll trade the world For the good thing he's found." It may be when you're first in love. He doesn't say "When a man is in love with a woman" and of course you can think about that person continually and still focus on life and how to provide for them.
"If she's bad he can't see it; She can do no wrong. Turn his back on his best friend If he put her down."
It's not smart, but love is not smart. I believe when two people are in love they won't allow their friends to lie or badmouth the person they love. I don't think it's over the slightest perceived injury. It also means that they don't want to see or believe that the girl is doing wrong.
"When a man loves a woman Spend his very last dime Tryin' to hold on to what he needs."
I think it means that he loves her enough that he would for her, not necessarily that she would make him, and truthfully, I don't think most men could love someone that would make them pay to keep them.
"He'd give up all his comfort Sleep out in the rain If she said that's the way it ought to be."
Again see above, he would be willing to, but she wouldn't ask him to. If she did, he probably wouldn't love her quite as much as he thought he did.
"Well, this man loves a woman; I gave you everything I had Tryin' to hold on to your precious love. Baby, please don't treat me bad."
He's just asking her in the beginning to not hurt him because *I think* it's happened to him before.
"When a man loves a woman Down deep in his soul She can bring him such misery If she plays him for a fool. He's the last one to know; Lovin' eyes can't ever see."
It's just saying that he doesn't hold back and loves with his entire being and that that alone would make it so that she's capable of hurting him if she were to betray him... and that we don't want to believe that our s/o would hurt us *especially in the beginning* and therefore wouldn't see. (Unless of course it's pretty obvious or they tell us)
"When a man loves a woman He can do no wrong; He can never own some other girl. Yes when a man loves a woman I know exactly how he feels, 'Cause baby, baby, baby, you're my world"
I like this song.
Sounds like some one is a little embittered.
I tend to pick apart songs too and I suppose this one could go either way. It basically depends on what you read into it about both the man and the woman.
@MistressAislin@xanga -
"It also means that they don't want to see or believe that the girl is doing wrong." That's kind of my point, and refusing to notice or believe that the person you love has faults is stupid.
"I don't think most men could love someone that would make them pay to keep them." I know more guys than not who will give a woman anything she wants as long as she will stay with them. Granted, these men are very insecure, but still... I find that they are not the rarity I used to assume they were.
He'd give up all his comfort Sleep out in the rain If she said that's the way it ought to be.
"Again see above, he would be willing to, but she wouldn't ask him to."
That's just it though - a man who is willing to do that is totally whipped, whether or not he ever actually has to do the thing he claims he is completely willing to do. I just don't see that as being in the least appealing or attractive in a guy.
"He's just asking her in the beginning to not hurt him because *I think* it's happened to him before.
But it says, "Well, this man loves a woman; I gave you
everything I had ,tryin' to hold on to your precious love. Baby, please
don't treat me bad." He already given everything he had to her, and it clearly isn't enough because he's still begging her not to treat him bad.
"we don't want to believe that our s/o would hurt us *especially in the beginning* and therefore wouldn't see."
No one wants to believe something like that, but to actually allow yourself to not be able to see it - whether the relationship is new or not - is something I just do not understand.
And I like the song too, haha!
@MissPixieGlitter@xanga - It's not a James Brown song, it's by Percy Sledge.
@Bushy_Tailed@xanga - I am thinking the same, but I could be wrong.
oh leave romantic exaggerations alone, they're meant to get you some booty, and after that they have no purpose.
@TheLuckiestWomanEver@xanga - whoops, my bad. for some reason, i always thought it was james brown.
The song was the closer of my marching band's program during my freshman year in high school. Actually, the band director took "When a Man Loves a Woman" and added the end of the previous song of the set, "One More Time Chuck Corea", to the end of the closer. The song thus should've been called "When a Man Loves Chuck Corea", which would have a far more interesting subject matter.
@Bushy_Tailed@xanga & @FreeeVerse@xanga - Haha, quite the contrary!
Just being all logical and sensible and that sort of thing...
@ThisUserNameIsAvaliable@xanga - I suppose I could agree with you there.
@MissPixieGlitter@xanga - He may have done a cover of it, who knows. Haha.
@Rob_of_the_Sky@xanga - LOL!
@TheLuckiestWomanEver@xanga -
"That's kind of my point, and refusing to notice or believe that the person you love has faults is stupid" Perhaps, but love doesn't always make us act rationally or logically.
"I know more guys than not who will give a woman anything she wants as long as she will stay with them. Granted, these men are very insecure, but still... I find that they are not the rarity I used to assume they were." Sad... I had hoped this wasn't true. I think a woman has to be willing to give in return and that it shouldn't be for the sake of keeping them.
"That's just it though - a man who is willing to do that is totally whipped, whether or not he ever actually has to do the thing he claims he is completely willing to do. I just don't see that as being in the least appealing or attractive in a guy." Just because he's willing to do something she asks doesn't mean he's whipped, what if she gives just as much in return? And love makes us willing to do and tolerate stupid things... for a while.
"But it says, "Well, this man loves a woman; I gave you
everything I had ,tryin' to hold on to your precious love. Baby, please
don't treat me bad." He already given everything he had to her, and it clearly isn't enough because he's still begging her not to treat him bad." I see your point, but just because he gave her everything doesn't mean she took it and left it or abused him, he's saying "don't" as if she hasn't yet. Consider rephrasing it to "I've given you everything I had, I'm trying to hold on to your precious love" I think that's how I interpreted it.
"No one wants to believe something like that, but to actually allow yourself to not be able to see it - whether the relationship is new or not - is something I just do not understand." That depends on how well it's staring us in the face. Some things are harder to refuse than others.
you're taking the song WAY too literally.
my parents wedding song...haha i know it has nothing to do with the song but they're still happily married and its been over twenty years, it worked for them i guess.Â
yeah if your trying to find the hidden meaning in something, think metaphors. anything with any emotion or depth is very rarely literal because its very hard to literally state the depth of how you feel for someone you need comparison to measure the depth of anything thus similes or metaphors serve this purpose.
This post sounds bitter... It's not about taking the song in its most literal form, but rather interpreting it from the perspective of a man who is hopelessly in love. No need to pick apart and read too far into the words.
Um. Shut up.
Are you in literary criticism class right now or something? lol. You should take a class if you can.
I think you're overanalyzing this song...
I want to be in a relationship with someone who loves me THAT much at least once in my life, even if it doesn't work out in the end.
This song is not meant to be analyzed...Just accept it, homegirl.
......No.
I like the song and that's all that matters.
@MistressAislin@xanga -
"Perhaps, but love doesn't always make us act rationally or logically."
Not when you're "in love" sure, but after a while the mature love
settles in and you start to see things for what they are. I guess I'm
trying to say that just because something typically is in a relationship doesn't necessarily mean that's the way it should be.
"I think a woman has to be willing to give in return and that it shouldn't be for the sake of keeping them."
I agree.
"Just because he's willing to do something
she asks doesn't mean he's whipped, what if she gives just as much in
return? And love makes us willing to do and tolerate stupid things...
for a while."
It's not just a matter of doing something you're asked though. This guy
says he's willing to sleep out in the rain - basically do absolutely
anything - if her whim decides that's what it wants him to do. To me,
it doesn't matter if she would also sleep out in the rain if that's
what he wanted. It isn't true love that makes people do and tolerate stupid
things, it's the silly infatuation part. I'd be totally cool with everything in this song if it was called "When a Man is Infatuated With a Woman", but somehow calling all of this love just doesn't seem right.
"Consider rephrasing it to "I've given you
everything I had, I'm trying to hold on to your precious love" I think
that's how I interpreted it."
You could be right.
"Some things are harder to refuse than others."
Sure.
Haha, I've enjoyed the banter - many thanks for your diligent commenting!
@NadoAngel@xanga -
@crim077@xanga -
@TJs_Lady@xanga -
@EuropeBrazil@lovelyish -
All songs mean something. Words have meanings and I like to explore them.
@winningbylosing@xanga - You too.
@MsKittyCatty@xanga - I've been out of school for quite a while, but that does sound like fun!
@IM_DUMB_YAY@xanga - It sounds really nice, I'm just calling whatever is in this song "infatuation" instead of "love". And everything in life is meant to be analyzed!
You're taking the song too literally. Eventually, after that rush fades, a man will start to see the bad things about his woman, and with time, he can decide wether or not to stay with her.
Everyone's saying you're taking the song too literally... but I rather enjoyed your analysis of it, and commend you for your brains.
Seriously? It's just a song. Nothing better to write about, I see.
I think this post would have been better had you used less examples and didn't use such a bitter tone. It sounds like you just hate the song and are trying to justify it.